The UAE accelerates port construction along its eastern coast to avoid risks associated with the Strait of Hormuz, but remains within Iran's missile range.

Bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, the UAE is accelerating port construction along its eastern coast, but since the pipelines remain within Iran's missile range, their actual utility is limited.

On July 22, DP World signed a 50-year concession agreement with the Fujairah Port Authority to advance the Ruwais Container Terminal and the Dubai-Fujairah Port Project.

Fujairah is located on the UAE’s eastern coast, facing the Gulf of Oman, allowing vessels to access the Indian Ocean without passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The new port is designed to handle 2.5 million standard containers annually. Once completed, it will be connected via an inland logistics network to Jebel Ali Port, increasing DP World’s total container handling capacity in the UAE from 19.4 million to nearly 22 million TEUs.

First, let’s examine why the UAE is in such a rush.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has repeatedly been disrupted by drone and missile strikes, causing Jebel Ali Port’s throughput to plummet by as much as 90% to 95%. As the Middle East’s largest container port, Jebel Ali lies trapped within the Persian Gulf, with its lifeline firmly in the hands of the Strait of Hormuz. DP World executives were clear: the eastern coast strategy is a “defensive move” aimed at preparing for worsening conditions.

But “bypassing the strait” does not mean “escaping the range.”

Fujairah Port is only about 70 nautical miles from the Strait of Hormuz. It is the UAE’s sole deep-water port on the eastern coast facing the Gulf of Oman. While its navigational conditions are superior to those of ports within the Persian Gulf, it was precisely hit by a precise Iranian missile strike on oil storage facilities in March, and again targeted in May in the oil region—evidence that Iran’s medium-range ballistic missiles and drone swarms have already extended their reach across the northern waters of the Gulf of Oman.

The UAE lacks strategic depth. Even with substantial investment in air defense and missile interception systems, it cannot guarantee absolute protection against concentrated firepower.

Thus, the real value of building the new port isn’t making the UAE “immune,” but rather diversifying risk: spreading the eggs between two baskets—Jebel Ali in the Persian Gulf and Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman—to establish a “dual-port resilience.” If the Strait of Hormuz gets blocked, the eastern coast serves as a backup; if the eastern coast takes hits, the Persian Gulf can still sustain operations. This is the survival arithmetic for small states caught in the crossfire of great power rivalry. Since the pipelines remain within Iran’s missile range, the UAE cannot fully avoid conflict—but it can prevent being wiped out entirely. For a country of the UAE’s scale, this suffices.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871553397036128/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.